Happy New Year to you all. I wish you and your families a year of health, joy and prosperity.
I also wish for a prosperous year for our region 鈥� a year of strong economic growth, new investment and additional job opportunities for community members.
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Of course, as the old nursery rhyme quipped, 鈥淚f wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.鈥� We can wish for a lot of things but none of us knows what the future will bring to our community, and both chance and outside forces often play a significant role.
Having said that, as an economic developer, I know that intentional, targeted action can make a difference in building a strong economy. It is our responsibility at Greater Bemidji to lay the foundation for a strong regional economy through hard work and leadership 鈥� to increase the chances of our region having a year of serendipity.
I am confident we are entering the new year with a clear and strong plan of action for our region鈥檚 economic development. In many ways we are looking to stay the course, focusing on five key pillars that we believe lay the foundation for strong economic growth. At the same time, Greater Bemidji will be investing in some strategic initiatives that we believe can serve as tipping points in moving our region forward.
Building strong economies is not as simple as it used to be. Early in my career, the secret sauce in economic development was cheap land, low-cost workforce and basic infrastructure. Now, in a time of intense regional, state, national and global competition, economic development work is far more complex.
The foundation of Greater Bemidji鈥檚 work rests on five key pillars. They serve as guideposts for our work. Some are what you would expect from an economic development organization, while a few are non-traditional, speaking directly to the unique needs within our region.
Often when people think of economic development, they think of recruiting companies to our region. While less of a focus today, promoting the region as a great place to do business is the first pillar. Having a clear sense of what differentiates our region from others 鈥� and articulating that to key decision-makers 鈥� will always be a central part of our work.
Similarly, our second pillar is also traditional for economic development 鈥� supporting small businesses and business growth. No doubt the greatest amount of private investment and development in our community will come within 鈥� from existing businesses and developers who already call Bemidji home. The single largest role we play is to support our local businesses by ensuring they have the resources they need to grow here in Bemidji.
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Our third pillar is helping entrepreneurs to start companies in our region. Several years ago, Greater Bemidji launched the LaunchPad, a strategic initiative to provide a one-stop-shop of resources for people considering opening a business in the greater Bemidji region.
From financial and technical advice to coaching from retired executives to startup space, the LaunchPad is now the entrepreneur hub for the northern part of the state 鈥� and a model for other regions.
The final pillars are less common in economic development, yet extremely critical in our region. Pillar four has Greater Bemidji taking a lead role in workforce-related training and development. The single greatest limiting factor for economic growth in recent years has been access to workers.
Greater Bemidji has aggressively invested in strategic initiatives to grow the pipeline of workers in the region, including launching a talent recruitment campaign (218 Relocate), supporting the creation of the Bemidji Career Academies, and launching the state鈥檚 first training center hosted by an economic development organization (the Minnesota Innovation Institute).
The fifth and final pillar focuses on key strategic 鈥減lace-making鈥� initiatives that ensure our region is a great place to live, work and raise a family. In today鈥檚 economy, businesses and families can be located virtually anywhere. The place-making initiatives help define 鈥渨hy鈥� someone would choose Bemidji.
Our most recent effort to not only open a YMCA wellness center in the region but to build a distinct neighborhood in the rail corridor is a great example of this Pillar in action.
These five Pillars will serve as the heart of our work at Greater Bemidji. Our community should hold Greater Bemidji accountable for making a difference in these five focus areas.
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Additionally, in 2025, Greater Bemidji is poised to make some strategic investments that will serve as tipping-point projects for a strong economy. We intend to grow our business lending capacity to ensure our growing companies have the capital they need.
We will actively pursue the development of starter homes for the region鈥檚 young workers. We will continue to drive childcare development in the region. Finally, we will take a leadership role in ensuring the redevelopment of the rail corridor serves as an economic driver for the region, attracting visitors and residents to our downtown core.
Michael Jordan once said, 鈥淪ome people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, and others make it happen.鈥� While this action plan may not guarantee strong growth and development in our region this year, it certainly increases our chances for serendipity in economic development to occur. It鈥檚 Greater Bemidji鈥檚 way of trying to 鈥渕ake it happen.鈥�
You can learn more about our pillars and strategic initiatives on our website, If you think we missed something 鈥� or if you think we are right on 鈥� drop me an email and let me know. I love to hear community feedback.
Dave Hengel is the executive director of Greater Bemidji Economic Development. He can be reached at (218) 444-5757 or dhengel@greaterbemidji.com.
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